Book Your Place At The Marathon Majors

With the dust just settled on another memorable London Marathon, with Kipchoge surely re-emphasising the fact he is the greatest 26.2 mile runner of all time, thoughts quickly turn to what opportunities there are for us mere mortals to become superheroes at the grandest marathon events.

Collectively known as the Abbott World Marathon Majors, the six largest events of the global marathon calendar take place in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. Due to their status as the most renowned marathons in the world, they can be extremely difficult to obtain entry to with all invariably over-subscribed.

Fear not, however, as Sports Tours International has guaranteed entry to all of the majors (aside from London) for anyone looking to compete at one of these events in 2019. We take a quick look at the profile of each race and how Sports Tours can assist with registration.

First up is Tokyo (3 March 2019), which joined the legion of majors in 2013. With a field of around 36,000, subscription usually hovers around the 300,000 mark, meaning entrants have around a 10% success rate. Registration and information on Tokyo 2019 is available here.

Known as the world’s oldest marathon, having started in 1897, Boston (15 April) with a competitive qualifying standard, is also one of the most tricky to enter. Guaranteed entry, without the requirement of a qualifying time, are available via Sports Tours International.

Frequently the site for PBs (and probably the most likely destination if there’s ever going to be a sub 2 mara), Berlin, which takes places in September, always features high on runners’ hit lists. With the city offering so much in terms of culture and history, this is a race that is ideal for a running holiday.

A sharp increase in popularity since launching in 1977 has seen Chicago Marathon’s number pool rise from 4,200 to 45,000. This limit is generally reached six months prior to race day (October time) – you can avoid the rush by entering here.

Last up on the calendar and often top of runners’ wish list is New York (November). Moving from Staten Island through the five boroughs of New York to the finish in Central Park, the TCS New York City Marathon is an experience that stays with competitors for a lifetime – you can guarantee your memory here.